


No Light in the Darkness

by Kitkat12323



Category: Vampire: The Masquerade, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines (Video Game)
Genre: But he's there - Freeform, Gen, and he has stuff to do, but hey i'll roll with it until i cant, canon and non-canon, idk what im really doing tbh, not really focused on the game protag, taken from more than VTMB, world of darkness stuff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-25
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2019-08-07 14:09:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16409921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kitkat12323/pseuds/Kitkat12323
Summary: Thea wasn’t mad nor could she say she was completely sane. The little voice in her head spoke truths whether she wanted it to or not. All she wanted was to live a simple life pursuing her art. Simple, quiet, and peaceful. Unfortunately things never go as planned.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just something I've been working on for a while. I loved the game, and the lore from the game and The World of Darkness are fascinating. I wanted to write a story that includes VTMB but also diverges. Not sure what I'm really doing, but I do enjoy writing this out. Updates are sporadic at best.

Thea stood outside the imposing building. She felt uncomfortable in her black pencil skirt and collared white dress shirt. The black blazer was a bit too snug under the arms and the flats irritated the back of her heels. She had pulled her extremely curly, light copper red hair into a bun though it still looked more like she just rolled out of bed.

“Don’t mess up this interview. The extra money would be better than living paycheck to paycheck. Be polite and sound sophisticated,” she mumbled to herself as she clutched her bag. Thea squared her shoulders and walked into the building. The marbled lobby lacked color and looked so impersonal.

The security guard, some guy that looked bored out of his mind, let her up to the penthouse. LaCroix, not the baby formula one, was a well known name in Downtown LA. Thea didn’t know much about him, but she heard that he did pay well for his secretaries. He worked such late hours that about he had a hard time keeping secretaries. The most recent one had been fired or left from what she heard.

Thea had luckily heard from listening to strangers’ conversation that LaCroix, a bigwig, was looking for a new secretary while working at the local diner in Santa Monica. Doing a quick search on the web turned up a few results. The redhead immediately called in and got herself an interview. She wasn’t qualified by any means, but she was desperate for the extra income the job could possibly bring.

All she had to do was convince her interviewer that she had enough experience despite graduating with only a English major and art minor. Also the fact that her only work experience was working at a diner part-time and writing for a newspaper as an advice columnist wasn’t all that impressive. She really needed the money though and was willing to do another job on top of her two other jobs.

Stepping off the elevator, she was taken aback by the hardwood floors and the gold molding that decorated the cream colored walls. She stared up at the chandelier in awe. A cough brought her back to the real world.

An older woman sat behind a desk. She gave Thea a once over before nodding for the woman to sit in the seat directly across from her. The young woman sat in the plush seat and nervously smoothed out her skirt. Silence filled the room as the woman stared at her. Thea’s gaze flickered away after a few moments of intense staring. 

Finally the woman spoke. “Thea Westbrook, right?” Before she could answer the woman went on. “Your resume is lackluster at best. Why do you want the job?”

The young woman swallowed nervously. She licked her lips as she tried to come up with an answer that didn’t sound too selfish but not too uninterested.

_ “Lies will be your downfall.”  _ A whisper of a voice said in her head. Thea’s hand twitched but it didn’t move any further than that. 

Taking the voice’s advice, not the first time either, she said, “Truthfully, I need the work. I answer letters for an advice column and work part-time at a dinner. I’m living paycheck to paycheck and need the extra money to go through online classes to get a higher degree. So that’s why I want the job.”

The older woman looked at her and then cracked a faint smile. “That’s the first answer I’ve gotten all day that hasn’t sounded sugar coated. Congratulations you have the job from four to ten.” 

Thea stared at her owlishly. “R-really?”

The woman’s smile vanished. “Mr. LaCroix comes in by 5:30, but you must be here by 4:00. Any calls are transferred to his line if they’re important. His daily meetings are written in the schedule book, and you are responsible for writing down new appointments. You’ll answer any emails that do not require Mr. LaCroix’s attention. Any guests that come are immediately let in without question”

She nodded mechanically. After a few more orders, Thea found herself outside the tall building. It felt like a dream to her that she had gotten the job just for being truthful. She had the urge to hug one of the random people walking by.

Just then, her phone rang. “Hello?”

“Heeyyy, Thea,” a nasally voice greeted. Thea grimaced at how loud the other person on the line was.

_ “Pattycake pattycake…” _

“What’s up, Patty?” Thea sighed as she already knew her friend wanted to hit the bars or clubs but, it was the courteous thing to do. Patty was a good friend despite talking about her life more than listening to others. The two were unlikely friends, but somehow they were close.

“Well I was wondering how your job interview went.”

Thea smiled a bit at her sudden interest. “If you can believe it, I got the job. I guess I’ll be spending a lot of my time Downtown. Do you want to go celebrate a bit?” She was in a happy mood and decided to have some fun.

“Now you’re talking! I’ll meet you at The Last Round. Maybe we’ll both get lucky.” She laughed and hung up before Thea could say more.

Thea sighed and shook her head as she stuffed her phone into her bag. Patty had a tendency to hop from one club or bar to another. She had often told Thea that she was looking for the ideal man. The redhead hadn’t listened all that much as Patty’s list of qualities had been very long and detailed. Even so, Thea was always her wing woman if she ever needed one.

She made her way down the street. Downtown LA was an okay place to be, though Thea never liked the fact that so many wealthy people worked here yet there were still homeless people right next door. It was as if the people were blind to others’ poverty and suffering. It was also a bit sketchy at night, especially the dark alleys. She made sure to keep near the street lights.

The fact that it seemed like the bar was in a seedier part of Downtown made Thea feel no better. Why did Patty have to pick a bar in this place of all places? Well Thea was also the one who agreed to go regardless of the fact that she knew it wasn’t in the best of places.

Thea could just make out a figure standing outside The Last Round. The bar looked a bit rundown to her, but Patty always tried out every bar and club regardless of how it looked. She noted that Patty had gotten her long hair cut into a more layered look.

“Hey!” Patty ran up to her and gave Thea a tight squeeze. She pulled away and scrunched up her nose at her outfit.

“What?” Thea asked.

Patty rolled her eyes. “Are you seriously wearing that to a bar? You look ready to do my taxes, not have fun.”

“I just got out of my interview. I wasn’t going to go home and come back. Be happy I decided to come,” Thea said and gave her a light punch in the arm.

The brown haired woman threw an arm around the other. “Fine. Let’s have fun!” She all but dragged her into the bar. 

Thea noted that it was quite dark and most of the customers were sitting in groups. The inside looked as if it hadn’t been updated in a long time. The wooden walls looked as if it was molding in places. The overhead lights did nothing to make the place look brighter, in fact it looked a lot gloomier. The carpet, a faded red, had seen better days. The music was loud and made it hard for her to hear much.

“The bar is fully stocked and everything looks clean at least,” Thea thought to herself. Patty immediately sat them down at the bar. The bartender, a man in his late forties with a stomach pouch, looked at them expectantly.

“I’ll have a mango-orange margarita with less mango but more orange and margarita with one of those little umbrellas that matches the color of the drink.”

The man just blinked and gave her a leveling look. “Listen lady, this ain’t no fancy uppity bar. So order something normal or don’t order at all.”

“Ugh, fine. I’ll have a gin with tonic, hold the ice.” Turning to Thea, she said, “I can’t believe how uncouth people can be.” Thea noted that the man completely ignored her very loud comment.

“What about you, business lady?” Thea flushed a bit and wondered if she should have changed like Patty had said.

“Uh, can I have a root beer?”

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “A beer you mean?”

Thea laughed nervously. “Um, no I mean like a root beer soda. Like no alcohol at all.”

Patty groaned. “Please, Thea! You’re supposed to be celebrating your new job.” Directing her attention to the man, she ordered for her. “Give her whiskey on the rocks.”

Thea sighed in annoyance. She had told Patty multiple times that she wasn’t a big drinker. The only time she drank was usually holidays and her birthday. Even then she had only half a glass of wine. The bartender pushed them their drinks and Patty immediately spun around to people watch.

A man was playing on the game machine. She noted a few dart boards were set up on the walls. There were tables with booths that had faux red leather on them. A few of the patrons had their heads down, most likely drunk. There was some guy in a blue vest, and only a blue vest, standing near one of the dart games. He looked as if he hadn’t seen a razor before.

_ “The Jack smiles when it goes pop from the box.”  _ Thea frowned as she had no idea what that meant and ignored the voice.

“God, all these people are sooo lame,” Patty complained. Thea hummed as she swirled the stick in her drink. The dark haired woman had already finished her drink.

“Come on, let’s go up,” she all but commanded. Thea sighed as Patty sauntered upstairs. The redhead pulled out her wallet before turning to the bartender. Patty had forgotten to pay for her drink, again.

“How do you deal with her?” The bartender asked in genuine curiosity. Thea chuckled and placed the money down.

She glanced at where her friend had gone. “One day at a time.” 

The bartender laughed loudly as she left. Thea smiled to herself as she recalled many people asking her that question and she always gave the same answer. It was the truth though.

Once up, she looked around for her friend and saw her chatting, very excitedly, with a man in the far corner. From where she stood, she could see that he was dressed impeccably. A dark maroon dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up three-quarters of an inch and black slacks made him look effortlessly stylish. His light blond hair was styled so that his bangs fell to the side of his face and made his angular cheeks stand out.

“Definitely the kind of guy Patty would be into,” she mused to herself as she took a seat at a table far enough so she wasn’t intruding but set in a way that she could see her friend if she needed any help.

Thea kept swirling her drink around, having not touched it, and watched as the ice slowly melted. There was a group of males at a table a bit further away from her, but Thea didn’t like they way they glanced at her and grinned to each other.

She drummed her fingers on the table wishing she had her sketch book or that Patty would hurry up and finish flirting with the guy. She did a quick sweep again and saw a man leaning against a wall. She couldn’t see him that well but he had on a blue jacket.

_ “All numbers are afraid of nine because nine, eight, seven!”  _ Thea shook her head as the voice asked in the back of her mind.

“Is it the other way around?” She questioned out loud. Her eyes widened when the man turned his gaze to her. He was scrutinizing her. His eyes were very blue she noted. Glancing behind her, in case he was actually looking at someone else, Thea wondered why he suddenly was staring at her. She shifted in her seat feeling a bit uncomfortable under his intense gaze.

Thea quickly averted her eyes to her drink. It was definitely time for them to go. She no longer felt comfortable, not that she had been when she first entered. She made her way over to Patty and placed a gentle but firm hand on her friend’s shoulder.

Patty’s cheek were flushed red and her eyes dazed. “Hey, Thea. This is Kent Alan Ryan and he’s an up and rising art critic.”

She pasted on her best smile and held out her hand. “Nice to meet you.” He took the hand she offered and placed a kiss on it. Thea shivered at the feeling of how cool his hand and lips were.

His eyes, a deep green, met her brown ones. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet a friend of lovely Patty’s. Call me Kent.” His voice was like velvet. Thea felt herself forgetting why she had come over. Actually, she wondered why she hadn’t come sooner to meet this charming man.

_ “His words are honey! You’ll choke if you try any!”  _ A loud, sharp hiss rang in Thea’s mind. 

She flinched and the fog she had felt in her mind cleared enough that she pulled her hand away from the man. Usually the voice in her head was all but a gentle whisper or giddy excitement that she could easily ignore. This time the voice sounded angry and urgent.

“Uh, Patty and I should get going.” Taking her friend’s arm, she tugged her away. “You have work tomorrow so you shouldn’t stay up too late.”

Patty still had a dreamy look on her face. “Okay. Bye Kent Alan Ryan.” She waved as Thea all but dragged her down the stairs. Thea took one last look back to see the blond staring intently back at them. She looked away only to see that the man leaning against the wall was watching them as well.

Thea ran as fast as she could while pulling along a dazed Patty.

\---------

The events of last night stayed with her even into the morning. The twenty minute drive had been filled with Patty sighing and telling the redhead how dreamy Kent Alan Ryan was. Thankfully she had forgotten to give him her number, so maybe they wouldn’t meet again. Thea could only hope that Patty stayed away from the man. He made her feel uncomfortable despite seeming like a decent guy..

She had dropped off the love-struck woman and drove to her own apartment. She had tossed and turned all night before finding sleep in the early mornings. Of course she had to get up early to answer the letters for the newspaper or not get paid, so she was a bit tired.

She now sat at her desk with a pile of letters to read, answer, and choose which to publish. It was a boring and tedious job, but at least she was writing something and making money. Her work area was also her art station and living room. Her little apartment wasn’t the best, but it was much better than the ones over Trip’s Pawnshop.

A second door led to her bedroom with its own bathroom and shower. Another door was the kitchen which wasn’t large but had all the basic functions to make food. She had a smaller bathroom near the door to go out. It wasn’t the biggest, but after living there from when she was twenty-two, it felt like home. Five years allowed Thea to collect better furniture and get to know the city had chosen to she live in.

Shaking herself from her thoughts, Thea picked up an envelope and pulled out the first letter of many. The handwriting, thank goodness, was legible enough for her to read. There were times where she could hardly make out the writing and would have to rely on her friends to help her out.

“Let’s see what you have to offer,” she murmured to herself as her eyes scanned the contents.

**Dear Santa Monica,**

**I want advice about my parents. They’ve been pressuring me to become a doctor because they make money. I don’t want to be one though and I stink at science. I really want to be an actress. I feel if I tell them, they’ll just tell me to grow up because I wouldn’t be able to make it as an actress. What should I do? I’m suffering through Biology and have no idea what’s going on. Please help!**

**-Gloria D.**

Thea smiled a bit as the letter sounded like something she had gone through. Her father had wanted her to go into politics, but she had wanted to be an artist. Despite her desires, her father pushed her towards what he wanted. Only her mother supported her dream as she had been a free spirit and did whatever her heart wanted when she was young.

Her father, when he found out she wasn’t following the track he had planned out for her, threatened to not pay for her college tuition. Thea, had thankfully, gotten an art scholarship and wouldn’t need her father’s money as long as she presented a few finished artwork every semester. Plus her mother, now divorced at the time, had willingly paid for some of her needs. 

Her father did come from a wealthy family where many generations had strong influences, though he hardly ever talked about his family. Maybe he had been right that she wouldn’t find any work, but she wasn’t about to tell him that.

He had cut her out of the will when she graduated and hadn’t spoken a word to her since. Her mother tried to help as best as she could by sending her a little money every once in awhile. Thea couldn’t live with her mother because she was always off to some new adventure. Unfortunately her mother had passed away a year ago, leaving Thea to find her own means of living.

**_Gloria D._ **

**_I want to say “do what your heart tells you” but it’s not very helpful in this day and age. Talk to your parents and try to make them understand how you feel. Tell them the truth, that you’re failing biology. I have a feeling that they may be a bit more receptive if they know the difficult time you’re having._ **

**_-Santa Monica_ **

This went on for a few hours before she had all the letters answered. Some were easier to answer than others. There were a few prank letters which went in the trash immediately. The letters she couldn’t read, she set aside to view later with the help of someone who maybe could.

Glancing at her watch, she had a few more hours before her afternoon shift at the diner. Thea yawned before getting herself up and going to her bedroom. Maybe a nap would do her some good as long as she didn’t oversleep. The moment her head hit the pillow, she was out.

\---------

Working at the diner wasn’t all that bad. Sure the pay was crap and the food even crappier, but Thea enjoyed some of the customers. They were all interesting characters, some more colorful than the next. Plus, she only worked there for a few hours every Tuesday and Thursday. Any money was good enough for her. She had learned a long time ago not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“Thea! Pancakes to table eight, and table two needs a refill of coffee!” The redhead quickly made her way to those tables. Being a waitress at least taught her how to balance objects without dropping them, and gave her the patience of a saint.

“Good afternoon, Thea,” Mrs. Hampton greeted. An elderly lady who was a regular smiled as she filled her mug.

She grinned. “Afternoon, Mrs. Hampton. How’s Edgar doing?”

“Oh he’s doing just fine. ” She beamed down at her lap. The older woman patted the little chihuahua that sat there shaking. 

The poor dog looked a bit traumatized to Thea but she kept quiet. The elderly woman enjoyed cuddling her dog to the extent of choking the poor creature. Thea found it amusing though she did feel sorry for him. It wasn’t animal abuse as the woman took good care of her dog. She just showered it in a little too much affection.

She moved around to fill other people’s orders. It was a mundane job, but she needed the pay more than anything. Plus she was allowed to have free food, though she never ate it, but that was beside the point.

“Thea get over here!” The redhead rolled her eyes as the chef in the back yelled for her. She could do without the yelling for her like a dog though.

She rushed over to the window to collect the order. Making her way to the table, she groaned when she saw some people walk in. Of all the people she had to serve, it had to be two of the guys she couldn’t stand.

Knox Harrington and his friend Trip slid into one booth. She didn’t mind Trip at all as he was laid back and tended to not talk as much. It was Knox she disliked. She couldn’t stand him though she always tried to grin and bear it as it was the polite thing to do. She didn’t really remember when she got acquainted with the two, as calling them friends would be a very far stretch for her.

Knox, or motor-mouth, talked a lot. He seemed to talk more than Patty and he was extremely loud sometimes. Thea couldn’t stand his constant jabber nor his high energy. She had to deal with Patty chatting off her ear. Plus he had no sense of personal space and was a bit too touchy for her.

The dark haired man waved as he saw her come over. “Hey, girl, what’s up?!” Thea let out a breath and pasted on a smile.

“Not much, but thanks for asking. So what can I get ya two?” She held her pad in front of her and waited. Thankfully they ordered their food without much comment. The redhead walked away feeling much happier until she remembered the other man she detested.

If she were to actually think about, she hated Vandal Cleaver more than she did Knox. At least Knox was annoying in a friendly way. Thea ranked him as a person she could be friends with if he would just tone down a bit.

Vandal was on a scale of his own. The guy was a complete and utter creep. The way he looked and the way he talked always made her wonder if he was the one who needed to be on medication. There was something about him that told her never to be alone with him. Plus he had gotten sent to jail a few times for some mysterious circumstances, not that she knew much about it as it was all hush hush.

Besides that, Vandal always made some snide comment to her. Some of his comments completely weirded her out. The weird ones tended to be more toward the violent side. He would often laugh it off, but even his laugh was creepy.

How she knew him was really a surprise. Her friend, Sam, had introduced her to a few guys and Vandal happen to be one of them. At first she had thought he was cute in a way. Once she actually talked to him, she wanted to run for the hills. Unfortunately he worked in the hospital in Santa Monica and so she saw him around town. 

He had developed some weird thing for her as he would ask her out though she turned him down every time. She just hoped that he would get discouraged and leave her alone. From what the whispers were around rumor mill, it seemed as if he was a bit too aggressive with women.

“Hello, Thea.” He gave her his weird half smile half smirk. She noticed that he looked a little paler and there were faint circles under his eyes.

“Afternoon, Vandal. What can I get you?” She attempted her best fake smile.

“How about a date?” he asked nonchalantly, though his eyes seemed to darken a bit.

Thea sighed. “Sorry, Vandal, but I have to say no. I’m just not interested.”

His eyes flashed with anger. “You seemed interested when we first met.”

“Yeah, that was before I got to know you. I don’t think we’d get along well,” she said truthfully.

He chuckled. “You’re almost as bad as Queen Bitch! I only associate with the likes of you because I find you intriguing. What makes you tick? If it were me, I would have already seen your insides and found it out.”

Thea stepped away from him a bit.  _ “Madness I say! Madness!” _ The redhead agreed with what the voice was saying. He was just plain mad.

“Um, so are you going to order?”

“Just coffee.” His voice was distant as if he was no longer in the diner. Thea quickly walked away to fill the orders. Hopefully he would remain distant and not talk to her.

“Why do I have to know all the weird guys?” she mumbled to herself. She shook her head and decided to just get through the rest of her shift so she could go home.

She placed Vandal’s coffee on the table and made her way over to the other table. She placed the dishes down and turned to leave when Knox grabbed her arm. It wasn’t in a forceful like the way Vandal had done once. Still Thea recoiled as she remembered the way Vandal had dug his nails into her wrist.

She rubbed her wrist as she glared at Knox. “Yes?”

He smiled sheepishly. “Sorry about that. I was wondering if you’re doing anything this Friday. Maybe we could go out clubbing or something. I heard The Asylum is a rockin’ place.”

Thea blinked in confusion. It sounded as if he had asked her out. “D-did you...ask me out?”

“Yeah, man. He has this thing for you. Won’t stop talking about you ever since he met-” Trip grimaced. She figured Knox had kicked him under the table.

“Oh.” She had no idea what to really think. Knox wasn’t bad looking in her opinion. She had always thought he was easy on the eyes. She was a bit uncomfortable with his touchiness and the fact that he talked nonstop.

“Thea I ain’t paying you to chat with the customers!” She sighed and rolled her eyes.

Looking back at Knox, she said, “I have work tomorrow. Also, I...I don’t know really. I mean we don’t really know anything about each other.”

Knox grinned. “We can get to know each other if we go out.”

She couldn’t stop the smile that formed. “Smooth. Maybe another time, Knox.”

His shoulders sagged, but then he brightened. “So it’s not a no, right?” 

Thea just smiled. “It’s a maybe.” That seemed to brighten his mood up a bit. She left the two to grab another order.

\---------

Working as a secretary was even more mundane than serving at the diner. Thea had come to work and sorted through LaCroix’s schedule before ordering everything on the desk. She had an hour left before she could leave. It was rather quiet since no one else was around her. She hadn’t seen the man she was working for but assumed he was already in his office. He didn’t seem to be coming out anytime soon.

“So boring,” she mumbled to herself.

She stared at her computer screen. There was only so much of online scrabble she could play before she felt ready to bang her head on the desk. She had started doodling on the sticky notes, but had to stop as she had used a whole new stack.

Glancing around, Thea grabbed her messenger bag and pulled out her sketchbook and pencil. It wasn’t like she had anything better to do. She had done all the work she had to do. Now she could relax, or so she told herself. Flipping to a new page, she thought for awhile on what she should draw. She looked around the room, but found nothing of interest.

_ “Tick. Tick. Tick. Goes the grandfather clock. Tick. Tick. Tick. Time flies away. Fleeting. Death.”  _ The voice in her head seemed to giggle childishly. Sometimes she wondered why she didn’t take the medicines. There were times when the voice said some disturbing things.

Holding the pencil to the paper, Thea allowed her hand to draw for her without really thinking about what she wanted to draw. She lost herself as she continued to work on her sketch not really seeing what was taking shape on the page. She had been so immersed, that she hadn’t realized her time was up. Only the sound of the elevator brought her out of her daze.

She quickly looked up to see the other woman here to take over. Closing her sketchbook, she quickly packed up her things and left. She slung her bag over her shoulder and held her sketchbook in one hand. Taking the elevator down, she headed out of the building and to Confessions. Patty had told her about it being “all the rage” and where Kent Alan Ryan had took her.

She could hear the sound of the music before she even stepped in. The once church still had its original molding attached. The inside, obviously, had been gutted out to fit the club scene. It was a creative way to make use of a church, Thea had to agree. Still she wondered what the inside had looked like before it became a club.

Thea sat at the bar. A woman in a turtleneck black top with a generous peek of her chest was working the bar. She was on the other side serving some other people drinks. She charmed and flirted with the people she was serving. The redhead just opened her sketchbook while waiting for her to come over.

“What?” Thea furrowed her brows as she stared at the drawing she had done. It was of  an old looking building. It was looked too big to be a home. There were construction machines drawn outside the building. The building looked old and abandoned.

She tilted her head to the side. “A hotel maybe?”

“Confused about something, darling? I can help you if you want,” a voice called to her. Thea looked up to see the bartender standing right in front of her.

She quickly shook her head. “Um, no I’m fine. I was just wondering what...never mind.”

_ “The goddess of love. She’ll listen to your dirty whispers…” _

“Come on, you can confess to Venus anytime. What can I get you?” Venus put her hands on her hips and gave a smile.

Thea sighed. “Um...just a gin and tonic I guess.”

The dark haired woman raised an eyebrow. “That such a boring drink, darling. The way you’re dressed, it looks like you’re ready to talk to me about the economy so I’m not surprised you ordered that.”

“Oh. I just got out of work. I, um, work at the LaCroix building as a secretary.” She shrugged. Venus set a shot glass down, and poured some amaretto into a shaker. Then she went back and poured coffee liqueur into it. Lastly she topped it off with an Irish cream liqueur. She shook it a bit and poured the liquid into the shot glass.

She slid the shot glass over to her. “Try this. It’s an Orgasm.”

Thea chuckled at the name. “Interesting name. Does it actually work?” she joked.

Venus clucked her tongue. “Sweetheart, the best orgasm is having hot, passionate, mind-blowing sex. This drink won’t even get you itching.”

“Mind-blowing sex? Does that even exist?” she asked and snorted.

“Of course it exists. You just have to find the right partner. I’m assuming that none of your past lovers were any good,” Venus said with a sympathizing look.

Downing in one gulp, Thea nodded. “It’s very light and creamy. Not bad.” She avoided the topic as best as she could.

“Someone is hiding something. What is it? I won’t tell anyone,” Venus whispered.

For some reason, Thea decided to tell her. “I’ve only been with a few men in my life. They were nice, but I didn’t feel anything. My first boyfriend was more about himself than me. The second was considerate about my body, but he was into kinky sex. I guess you could say I stopped looking after a few more failures.”

“Just try again, sweetheart. There are plenty of fish in the sea. All you have to do is give them a chance. A handful of bad experiences shouldn’t turn you away from finding someone who will give you mind-blowing sex.” She took the shot glass and set another one down.

Maybe it was because Thea knew she wouldn’t see her outside of the bar or maybe she did trust that she wouldn’t talk about her, but she found herself relaxing a bit after that. It was true that she hadn’t been with someone in a while. It was mainly because she was too busy with trying to find work; she didn’t have time for romance or sexual relationships.

Venus poured in some Jägermeister, peach schnapps and cranberry juice into a new cocktail shaker. She shook it for a bit before pouring the liquid into the shot glass. She handed it to Thea. The color of the drink was a reddish-orange color. She took a sip and smiled. It was sweet but she could still taste a bit of the herbal flavor from the Jägermeister.

“Redheaded Slut,” Venus said.

Thea looked at her while her eyebrows shot up. “Excuse me?”

The older woman chuckled. “The name of the drink is Redheaded Slut. I thought it might fit since that’s what you need to be to get laid.” She gave her a wink before leaving Thea to her drink.

Thea shook her head as she drank the rest. “The names they come up with…” She could already feel the drinks as her body warmed up and she felt slightly buzzed.

“Thea!” Patty came up from behind her and wrapped her arms around the redhead’s shoulders. Her voice was filled with giddiness as she gave her a squeeze.

Patty sat down next to her. “I can’t believe that he asked me out!”

Thea shook her head. “How did you meet him again?”

When Patty had told her that she had met Kent Alan Ryan again, Thea had been surprised if not a bit worried. What were the odds of meeting the same guy in a week? Of course Patty had ignored her worry, as she was over the moon for this guy.

“I was at the Asp Hole when he came up to me. He was just as surprised to see me there as I was. I think this is fate!” Patty gushed.

Glancing around, Thea didn’t see the blond male anywhere. “Is he here?”

“He’ll be coming by later. I just wanted to ask what you think of him. Should I go for it? He’s so handsome, and his words are just...just so amazing!” The brunette sighed dreamily.

Thea wanted to tell Patty that she had a bad feeling about him, but seeing the love struck look in her eyes made her pause. Patty hadn’t been in a serious relationship before as most of the guys just wanted a casual fling. Seeing her friend so happy about this Kent Alan Ryan, Thea bit her tongue from saying anything bad.

“He seems okay. If you like him, then I say go for it.” She chewed on her lip as her stomach churned with unease. “Just...be careful.”

Her friend squealed before pulling her into a hug. “I’m so happy, Thea! You have no idea!”

The redhead chuckled humorlessly. “I can see, Patty.”

Pulling away, she said, “Maybe he has a friend that he can hook you up with. Then we could, like, double date and stuff!”

Thea blanched at the idea. “I rather not, Patty. Thanks, but I think I’ll pass.”

Frowning, the brunette rolled her eyes. “Come on, you’re not getting any younger. You gotta find yourself someone soon. At least get laid.”

Rolling her eyes, Thea glanced at Venus, who was with another customer across the bar. “You’re the second person to tell me that,” she grumbled.

“Well then it must be true. When was the last time you dated anyone? Or even the last time you had a good lay? I’m sure if you go out, you’ll be less stressed.”

“I’m not stressed…” Thea glared at the empty shot glass.

Patty snorted. “Puh-lease! I might not be the smartest person, but even I can tell you’ve been tense and stressed out for the past month or so.”

_ “Stress, then death!” _ The voice in her head cackled. 

Thea scrunched up her nose in distaste. “I’m fine, Patty. I thrive on being stressed. Anyways, I should leave you to your date with Kent Alan Ryan.”

Mentioning the male, Patty seemed to forget the conversation. “Oh! He’ll be here any minute! Sorry we can’t hang some more, Thea.”

“It’s fine.” She waved off her worries as she paid for the two drinks. “I have some work to do anyways. I might do a new painting too.”

“That’s good…” Patty mumbled as her voice trailed off. Following the brunette’s gaze, she saw that her date had just shown up.

Getting up, Thea followed Patty over to the man. He was still dressed impeccably. Was he wearing Armani?

“Kent Alan Ryan!” Patty’s smile was wide.

He gave her a half smile. “Hello, Patty. Thea.” He acknowledged the redhead with a slight nod.

Thea gave a polite smile. “Hey, again.” With Patty’s obvious awe struck staring, Thea shifted awkwardly on her feet. “I should leave you two alone. It was nice seeing you, Kent.”

“I hope to see you again, Thea.” His green eyes sparked with something that she couldn’t quite read, but it sent chills down her spine.

As much as she didn’t want to leave Patty with him, Thea made her way out of the bar. She had a feeling that Patty was too much in awe with him to even listen to what she had to say. As long as Patty was happy and safe, Thea wouldn’t interfere with the two, but she would be keeping an eye on them just in case.

\---------

As the weeks went by, she fell into a routine. Wake up, eat, do some sketching, answer letters, work at the diner, eat, work at LaCroix, sometimes meet up with friends to have a drink, go home, eat, work on sketch some more, sleep.

It wasn’t the most exciting life, but it was something she could expect to be the same. Thea preferred routine over not knowing what was going to happen next. That was an aspect that she had gained from her father.

Of course weekends meant no work, so her schedule was a bit thrown off. Despite that, Thea did enjoy her two days of freedom. She didn’t have to get up early or worry about serving people. She could just be lazy and spend the day doing whatever she wanted.

Having gotten home from her night job, she laid stretched out on her couch with the television on. The news anchor was reporting on another murder, though she had tuned him out as her mind wandered. She hadn’t heard much from Patty recently. Whenever she would call her, she was sent right to voicemail. Texting the brunette only supplied Thea with one word responses.

Another friend of hers was worrying over someone who had just disappeared a few days ago. Thea didn’t know this person, but felt bad that Sam had possibly lost someone she cared for. There seemed to be a lot of unrest in Santa Monica lately, but Thea didn’t know what the cause of it was.

“Why does it seem like hell just broke loose?” she mumbled to herself.

_ “A new one has joined!”  _ Frowning, Thea pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance. 

The voices weren’t frequent, but when they did happen they wanted her to know. Often times she could ignore them, but there were times they demanded to be heard. She had thanked her luck that she hadn’t heard them in a while, but of course her luck would eventually run out.

“What even are you saying?” she asked, though she knew she would get no answer.

Having lived with these voices, Thea still couldn’t understand them completely. Of course the many doctors and psychiatrists she had seen told her not to listen to the voices. They also told her to take medication, but she had discontinued it as they made her sluggish and disoriented.

Diagnosed with a mild case of schizophrenia wasn’t something you brought up in casual conversations. The only people who knew of her problem were her parents and those who diagnosed her. 

Her father wasn’t all too concerned, though she could still remember the first time she mentioned hearing the voices how his face had turned dark. That same day he and her mother fought in their room. That was also the day their marriage started falling apart. Her mother was the one who brought Thea to see doctors and psychiatrists.

Massaging her temples, Thea sighed. “I’m not crazy…”

The ringing of her phone brought her out of her musing. “Hello?”

“Thea, it’s Sam. I was wondering if you want to go out?” She sounded excited.

Sitting up, the redhead turned off the television. “Hey, Sam. I wouldn’t mind going out. Where are you planning?”

“Well a few friends and I were thinking of spending the weekend in Hollywood. Maybe rent a room at a hotel or something. We could do some touristy stuff.”

Thea chuckled. “We’re not tourist though.”

Sam sighed. “Yeah I know. Max just wants to see some actress’s grave. I think her name was...Bella Swan?”

The redhead glanced around her room. She didn’t have much to do for the weekend. “Yeah. Sure I’ll go.”

“Great! I’ll let you know the details later,” Sam said. 


	2. Chapter 2

The Lucky Star hotel looked like it had seen better days. Still Thea thought it was one of the better hotels that they had seen. It was near a convenience store, restaurant, and other places. There was even a club nearby that they could go to. It could have been worse.

After everyone had settled into their room. They gathered outside of Sam’s room to discuss what they would be doing. Besides Sam, the three other people were friends that Thea only met a few times. Thea felt a bit left out as she didn’t know most of them, but she hoped they could all have some fun.

“So what do you all want to do?” Sam asked.

“We could go to the Asp Hole. I hear it’s a pretty decent club. Or we could go see Ginger Swan’s grave,” Max offered. He was tall and had the friendliest face Thea had ever seen. He was also one of the more level headed members in their group.

Tegan scoffed. “We need to do something better than go to a club or seeing dead people. I saw a porn shop on the way here. I bet they have some nasty stuff we could all watch together.”

“Tegan, gross!” Trisha cried and slugged him in the arm. The bleach blonde male rubbed his arm. Thea found Tegan to be...different. He was scrawny and pale, but had intelligent brown eyes. Too bad he seemed to be more interested in getting into everyone’s pants than anything else.

Tossing her dyed green lock behind her shoulder, Trisha sighed loudly. “We should see the Hollywood stars. I’ve always wanted a picture there.”

“Well we can’t all do everything at once.” Sam was shaking her head.

“Why don’t we just split up and do what we want? We don’t actually need to go as a group,” Thea said. It was true that they didn’t actually need to be together. They were all adults who could do whatever they wanted.

“I guess Red is right,” Tegan mused.

“My name is Thea,” she said with a frown. The male ignored her. 

After some more discussion, the group split up to go their own way. Thea decided to go with Max mainly because she was curious why he wanted to see the grave of a dead actress. She also wasn’t too keen on going with Tegan to the porn shop. Sam and Trisha went to Asp Hole, and Thea had promised to meet up with them later.

As they went by the manager of the hotel, Thea could see him furiously editing a thick stack of papers. He didn’t pay them any mind as they left. Whatever he was doing held his interest more than his own job. 

“So where is the cemetery?” she asked.

“It’s a not far from here, but we’ll have to take a taxi to get there.” Max quickly waved down a taxi and the two got in.

“Where to?” the driver asked. Despite it being night time the driver wore shades.

“Can he even see with those on?” she wondered to herself.

“Hollywood Forever cemetery, please.” They drove in relative silence. Max wasn’t the world’s biggest talker Thea found. He seemed content with the silence, so the redhead stared out the window.

She glanced over at the driver again.  _ “No! Run! Get out! The Godfather!” _ Thea winced at the shrieking sound of the voice in her head. She had been enjoying the silence as the voice hadn’t said much for a while. The screaming continued despite her mental protests. She rubbed her temples trying to alleviate the headache she was getting.

“You okay?” Max inquired, watching her with some concern.

Thea gave a half smile. “Yeah. Just a little headache.”

He gave her a sympathetic look. “I have some aspirin back in my room if you want it later.”

“Thanks, but I think I’ll be fine.” Just as she said those words, the taxi stopped. Getting out the two stared at the the looming gates of the cemetery. The voice had ceased its screaming the moment she got out of the taxi.

“Big place. Looks kinda spooky at night,” she commented as she followed Max to the gate.

He tried to open the gate. “It’s locked? I thought they kept the gates open until eight. It’s only six…” Looking through the barred gates, Thea shivered at the dreary cemetery. She could barely make out what sounded like moans coming from inside. She assumed, hoped, it was just the wind.

She turned to Max and said, “I guess we should just go back. We can come back tomorrow morning instead.”

The male sighed. He was looking around when he seemed to have spotted something. “Hey, I think I found a way in.” He ran over to a pile of barrels and other trash that was shrouded in shadows. After clearing it all away, Thea could see that there was a hole in the wall. It was large enough that they could crawl through.

“Wait, isn’t this breaking some law?” she asked while Max was squeezing his way through the hole.

“Nah. I’m sure it’s okay. We’re not going to do anything illegal, so we should be fine. Come on.” Having made it to the other side, he waited for the redhead to make her way in as well.

_ “Let them eat brains!” _

Thea rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Brains I don’t have as I’m about to do something that is probably illegal,” she muttered.

Brushing off the dirt as she stood up, she and Max made their way through the cemetery. The moaning sound seemed to have gotten louder. Despite having a flashlight on him, the light did nothing but cast eerie shadows. They passed by shack, which Max told her was for the cemetery caretaker. At the end of the path was a large mausoleum that held many bodies.

“So what’s so great about Ginger Swan?”

It was even darker inside. “She was known as one of the most beautiful actresses in her day. Men wanted to be with her, and were willing to give up everything just for a chance. At least that’s what my grandfather told me.”

Thea noted how easy it would be to get lost. She stuck close to Max. “So she was really pretty? That’s why you wanted to see her?”

Max chuckled. “Actually my grandfather asked me to visit. He wants a photo and to leave a letter he wrote. It’s some kind of anniversary thing.”

“Wow, you must really be an amazing grandson to come to someone’s grave just for that.” They turned a corner.

“Not really. He’s old and I guess I felt bad that he can’t come.” Turning another corner they finally found her crypt.

They both looked at the marked grave for a while. Finally Thea spoke, “Well I guess this was kind of anticlimactic.”

“Yeah not much to see. I’ll take the picture and leave the note, so we can get out of here.” Thea left him to do his thing. 

She wandered to the other side where there were other crypts. Without Max’s flashlight it was so dim and gloomy. Looking at all the crypts made Thea start to wonder about her own mortality, Death was an eventual outcome for everyone. The idea of dying didn’t scare her. It was the not knowing when she would die that sent fear rushing to her heart. Thea had ideas of how she wanted to spend her life. Nothing too grand of course. She just wanted to be able to support herself to where she was comfortable, and do what she loved the most. It was an idea most people probably had.

Reaching out, she brushed her hand over a row of crypts.  _ “Ssssecretssss” _ She pulled her hand away immediately. Staring at the row of crypts, she had thought she felt a slight give. Leaning closer, Thea squinted in the dark trying to get a better look.

“Thea, I’m done. Ready to go?” Max called. His voice echoed in the empty mausoleum. 

The redhead immediately forgot about what she was looking at. “Coming!” Rushing to Max, she shook her head. Must have been her imagination.

The two made their trek back through the cemetery. The moaning was still going on. “It’s kind of creepy. That noise I mean.” She crossed her arms over her chest as she looked around.

Max flashed his light around. “Must be the wind…”

“I’m pretty sure the wind doesn’t sound like that. It almost sounds like-” She was cut off as they rounded a corner. The barrel of a shotgun staring them down.

“Holy shit!” Max jumped back and hid behind the redhead. Thea could only stand rooted in her spot. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the man holding the shotgun.

He relaxed his stance. “You kids almost got yourself blown to kingdom come! What are you doing here? Some satanic ritual?”

“W-what?” she babbled, still in shock. “W-who are you?”

“Name’s Romero. I’m the caretaker here. What are you doing here?” He seemed rather relaxed for a man aiming a gun at them only a few seconds ago.

Finally finding her voice Thea jerked a thumb to Max, who had moved away from hiding behind her, and said, “He wanted to see Ginger Swan. We didn’t think we were doing anything wrong.”

“Ah the famous Swan. You both fans or something?”

Max cleared his throat. “Uh, just dropping by for my grandfather. We’re really sorry if we’ve caused you any trouble, sir.”

Romero waved them off. “No trouble. Next time come to the cemetery when the gates are actually open. You kids better get going.”

Max nodded. “We’re not kids,” he muttered under his breath.

Thea followed him but cast a quick glance behind her. Romero was watching them. The moans were still going.

\---------

The Asp Hole was one of the nicer clubs. It seemed to be popular based on the amount of people squeezed inside. After going back to the hotel and changing into something more appropriate for a club, Thea and Max met up with Sam and Trisha. It was fairly easy to find them as they could easily spot Trisha’s green locks among the crowd.

Trisha seemed at home on the dance floor, Thea noted. “Isn’t this place great?!” Sam yelled above the music as she swayed to the beat.

“Yeah…” she answered half-heartedly. The redhead wasn’t too into the music or grinding up against hot, sweaty bodies. Max was busy chatting up some guy, so Thea wandered upstairs. Leaning over the balcony, she had a decent view of downstairs. The bass seemed to thrum right through her very body.

“Not much of a dancer?” the stranger on her right asked.

Thea turned to him. He was handsome in a classical sense. “Not really. Clubs aren’t really my thing.” She felt as if she had seen his face before, but couldn’t place where.

His eyes seemed to bore into her soul. “What is your “thing” then?”

She managed to tear her gaze away from him to look down at the people dancing. “At home working on my paintings or curled up on my bed writing.”

“You’re an artist then?”

Chuckling wryly, she shook her head. “Not really. I work at a diner and as secretary.”

He hummed. “You have the soul of an artist though. I can tell.”

Thea snorted. “Sorry but was that supposed to be a pick up line?” She turned back to him with a small smile playing on her lips.

“It was partially, but I do speak the truth. I have a way of telling the true artists from the faux ones.” He smiled though his eyes still looked sad.

_ “Poor dead phoenix…” _ She ignored the voice. “I’m Thea.”

“Ash.” He offered his hand to her. Shaking his hand, she noted how cool it was compared to her own. Even though she wasn’t dancing, the club was warm from all the bodies.

Leaning her back against the bannister, she surveyed the man closer. “So what are you doing here?” Thea still had the feeling she had seen him somewhere. It was on the tip of her tongue.

He gestured to the area. “I own this.”

An eyebrow shot up. “You own the club? Well that must be nice.”

He scoffed. “This club is nothing. It’s just a hellhole crammed with everything Hollywood has to offer, which isn’t much.”

“Noted. Why own a club you don’t like? You could do other things,” she pointed out.

The man sighed. “It was given to me by someone as a...gift. After I quit acting, I had nothing else to do.”

Thea’s brows furrowed. “You’re an actor? Have you ever acted in anything?”

This caused him to laugh. Ash studied her for a moment before shaking his head. “Nothing major. My career as an actor is over, anyways.” He sounded bitter about the last part.

“Sorry to hear that. Maybe you can find something else to be passionate about?” She didn’t really know what else to say. He was obviously upset about his acting career. Or lack of.

Running a hand through his hair, he seemed to be somewhere else. “There’s nothing left for me here. All I can do is sit in this club and rot until my undying days…”

“Right…” She was starting to regret talking to him.  _ “Suicidal pretty boy,” _ the voice hissed. That caught her off guard. Though she rarely listened to the voice, she knew it was always right in some way. It was uncanny really. It should have scared her long ago, but she just came to accept it.

“I should go,” he said, pulling her out of her thoughts. He seemed to be looking at something downstairs.

Thea just nodded and watched as he walked off. She still couldn’t place who he was despite feeling like she had seen him before.. Maybe she had seen his face on an ad once, or a movie trailer. She turned her attention back to people watching downstairs. Trisha was still dancing, though now she had a guy standing close behind her. Sam was sitting at the bar order a drink while Max was still chatting up the guy.

After a while, Thea wandered back downstairs. Everyone seemed to be doing their own thing. Even Sam had let loose and was dancing with some random person. Trisha was taking a break at the bar. The green haired woman waved her over.

“Where have you been?” she asked once Thea got closer.

“There.” She gestured upwards.

Trisha took a sip of her drink. “What, you can’t dance?”

Sitting on the bar stool, Thea rested her elbows on the countertop. “I don’t really dance. Where’d Max go?”

“Went off with that guy he was all over.” Trisha wrinkled her nose. “I did not need to see him shoving his tongue down someone’s throat.”

“I might head back to the hotel.”

“Already? It’s only...twelve!” She looked aghast.

“I guess I’m just an old granny,” Thea joked. The other woman didn’t seem to find it too funny.

Trisha downed the last of her drink. “Whatever. At least Sam is having fun.” With a wave, she went back on the dance floor. 

Sighing, Thea headed out of the club. The cool air was a blessing on her too warm skin. There were still people wandering around the streets. Thea started walking back to the hotel. It wasn’t too far from the Asp Hole. It seemed like everyone was at least having some fun on the mini-trip.

Returning to the hotel, Thea went up to the rooms. She could hear sounds coming from Tegan’s room as she passed. She quickly made her way to her room not wanting to know what it was Tegan was watching. Just as she was going into her room, she glanced up at the sky. It was a full moon.

After showering and getting into her sleepwear, Thea laid in bed. She stared at the ceiling as she waited for sleep to take her. The ceiling was cracking in place. There was also obvious mold spots. She followed the cracked lines as they twisted and swirled. She glanced at the clock and sighed. Despite closing the shade, she couldn’t fall asleep. She wasn’t even remotely tired, but she should have expected it.

Maybe people would call it a coincidence, but Thea always found that on full moons she had a hard time sleeping. It was as if she had all this built up energy that needed to be directed somewhere. Nights like these she would be awake until the first rays of sunlight. Then she would sleep all morning and afternoon. It always threw off her sleep schedule.

Not being able to fall asleep after a few hours, she got out of bed. Putting on a pair of sneakers and grabbing a sweatshirt, the redhead went outside. The moon was still high in the sky, and shining brightly as if to mock her.

Tegan’s room was silent. “He must’ve went to sleep,” she thought to herself. As she passed Sam’s room she could hear the woman snoring. It seemed that she had come back from the club. Thea wondered if Trisha and Max were back as well. She wandered to the reception area and sat down on one of the spare couches. The manager was still up. 

He glanced up at her. “Can’t sleep?”

“Yeah.” He still had the giant stack of papers on the desk. “Are you working on something?” She nodded to the pile.

“I’m working on an original script for a move, actually,” he said, seeming to puff his chest out in pride.

“Cool. What’s it about?” She was genuinely curious. It was rare to see someone, who wasn’t a professional, dedicate time to writing a script. He had a decent sized stack of papers meaning he must have something he was passionate about.

“It’s about vampires. Not your average stuff either,” he quickly added.

“Such as…?” Though skeptical that anyone could come up with new stuff about vampires, she was willing to hear him out.

He opened his mouth but closed it immediately with a click. “How do I know you won’t try to steal my ideas?” he asked, suspicious.

She rolled her eyes. “You don’t have to show me, but I guess your ideas must not be that new or interesting.” 

Thea made to leave but he quickly grabbed his screenplay and came over to her. “Okay. Okay. I’ll give you a little sneak preview of what I have so far. I’m David by the way.”

“Thea.” She took the offered stack of papers. There was a lot of crossed out words and editing on the pages.

As she skimmed the lines, David continued to talk. “This stuff is gonna revolutionize the vampire movie industry! I just know it will.”

“Being able to make humans into ghouls by drinking vampire blood?” Thea felt a strange sense of déjà vu as she read about the ghouls. She couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that she had forgotten something. Something important.

“Sounds neat, right? Plus the humans age slower and are stronger than the average human.” He sounded quite proud of himself.

“Huh...I swear I’ve heard of that before,” she mumbled to herself. She handed him back his screenplay. “Pretty interesting stuff you have in there. Did you come up with all of this yourself?”

David looked a bit sheepish. “I, uh, have a partner who helps supply some stuff. I did write the screenplay, though.”

“Cool…” She let out a yawn. “What time is it?”

He glanced at his watch. “Almost eight. My shift’s over too.”

Thea sighed. “Time for bed.” She stood and stretched. “Thanks for letting me read your screenplay, David. Hopefully it’ll be a hit one day.”

“Thanks!” He smiled widely. Giving him a wave, Thea made her way back to her room.

Collapsing on the bed, Thea sighed in bliss. Closing her eyes, she fell into a deep sleep. Long forgotten memories filled her dreams.

\---------

“Thea, what are you doing?”

“Nothing, Mama…” She quickly hid what she was holding behind her back.

“Thea…” Her mother gave her a stern look.

The child slowly brought out what she had been holding. A brown rabbit lay limp in her arms. “I didn’t mean to hurt him…”

Her mother sighed. “Let’s go bury him, sweetie.”

After burying the rabbit in a shallow grave, Thea stared at the lump of dirt. “Why can’t we bring him back?”

“Bringing him back wouldn’t be the same. When something dies, we should just leave it to rest,” her mother explained. “Nothing good comes from raising the dead.”

\---------

“Papa, look!” Thea held up an eraser. 

Her father, dressed in a business suite with his hair pulled back, peered over his newspaper. “Is that all you could do?” He sounded disappointed.

Thea’s grin melted off and she hung her head. “Sorry…” The eraser crumbled into dust in her hand.

He went back to his paper while saying, “Clean that mess up, and try again.”

“Yes, Papa…”

\---------

Thea covered her ears as she attempted to block out the agonizing screams of the man in the entrance. Huddled in her closet hiding place, she squeezed her eyes shut and counted to ten. Uncovering her ears and opening her eyes, she peeked through the slated frames of the closet. Her father stood over a man on the floor as he hacked up blood. His eyes held no emotion as he watched the other man weakly got on his knees.

“You come to my house demanding things from me, Have you forgotten your place?” her father asked coldly.

The man cast his gaze downward. “P-please...I meant nothing...by it.”

Her father stepped back. “You are weak. Your entire lineage is weak.” He raised his hand toward the cowering man. The man’s body jerked upward like a puppet on strings. His mouth fell open in a silent scream. Water from his body, Thea realized, was being pulled out of him. She couldn’t look away despite wanting to as the man withered into a dried up husk. The corpse fell to the ground, and the water that was once inside the man drenched his corpse.

_ “Mummified!” _ the voice in her head squealed in laughter. The red haired child could only shake her head as silent tears fell.

\---------

Thea woke by mid-afternoon. Getting dressed, she went to Sam’s room. “We went out for a while. I did knock on your door, but I guess you were still sleeping.”

“Sorry about that. Any plans for today?” the redhead asked.

Sam paused and then shook her head. “Nothing I can think of. You want to do anything?” Shaking her head, Thea yawned. “Still tired?”

“A little. I tend to have nights where I have a hard time sleeping. I actually dreamed for once, but I can’t remember what it was about.” She frowned.

“I usually don’t remember mine either. Maybe you just need to think about it for a while?” Sam suggested.

“Maybe…”

There was a knock on the door. “Sam?” Max poked his head into the room. “Hey, Thea.”

“Hey, how was your night?” Sam asked with a mischievous smile.

Max coughed and looked away. “It was nice. He was nice.”

Thea only chuckled as Sam probed him for more details. “What’s his name? Did you go to another hotel? Did you get his number at least?”

“None of your business. We went to his apartment. He gave me his number after breakfast.” Max had a large smile on his face.

“Wow he made breakfast?” Thea was a bit surprised. “He must really like you!”

“Definitely. You don’t make breakfast for one night stands,” Sam agreed.

“Enough about me. Are we doing anything or just heading back?”

Sam rolled her eyes. “Fine. I think we’re heading back. Just get Tegan and Trisha.”

As much as Thea enjoyed the little break, she did want to go back to her own apartment. The beds at the Lucky Star felt like you were sleeping on stone slabs. Plus she had work the next day, not that she was looking forward to going back.


	3. Chapter 3

The following months went by in a blur. Everything was the same that it seemed to blend together. Even the weekends were similar that there was nothing Thea made note of. Despite the monotony, Thea found some relative peace. The voice in her head had fallen silent, which she thought was a blessing. Her new boss never came to check on her, so she didn’t have to worry about her job. The extra cash went right into her savings account, and it was good to not live paycheck-to-paycheck. With less stress she could focus on her art and found time to paint in her apartment.

It was peaceful.

Of course peace can only last for so long. Six months into the needed peace Thea received a call from Patty early in the morning. She had just fallen asleep when her phone rang. Seeing the number, Thea was tempted to just ignore the call, but her conscious told her to answer because Patty could be in trouble.

“H-hello?” 

“Thea! I don’t know where he went!” Patty cried into the phone. The redhead pulled the phone away from her ear.

She winced as her ear rang from Patty’s screech. “Patty, please lower your voice and slow down. Take a breath and tell me what happened.”

The woman on the other line paused, and then said in a slightly calmer voice, not by much, “I can’t find Kent Allen Ryan! I’ve called his phone, but he never picks up. I’ve gone to Confessions for the past month but he hasn’t shown up either!”

“Patty?”

“Yeah?”

“It’s three in the fucking morning. I thought you were in trouble, so I picked up. I’m sure he’s just off somewhere else. Maybe he’s out of the country or whatever.” Thea gritted her teeth as she fought the urge to throw her phone across her room.

“But he would never leave without telling me! I’m like his...girl!” She sounded even more hysterical than before.

She sighed and planted her face in her pillow. “We can talk about this later. I’ll meet you at Confessions or whatever after I get out of work.”

“But Thea I-”

“Patty!” That made the brunette shut her mouth. “Please just calm down. I’ll meet you at Confessions tomorrow after work. Okay?”

She was silent for a moment. Thea heard her groan loudly in the reciever. “We’ll meet at The Last Round.”

“Fine.” Thea hung up without waiting for a reply.

\---------

Dragging herself from work to the bar, Thea cursed Patty under her breath. Despite going back to sleep, she had a hard time staying asleep. She gave up trying to fall asleep around nine in the morning. Skipping her shift at the diner, she worked through her stack of letters for the week. At least working for LaCroix wasn’t too bad. She dozed a bit at work.

Walking into the bar, she was ambushed by Patty immediately. “What took you so long? I thought you said you’d be here right after work!”

She followed the brunette upstairs and to a corner table. “Calm down, Patty. I had to walk here from work.”

Patty wasn’t paying much attention as her eyes shifted around the room. “He isn’t here either! No one knows where he went. I bet they just don’t want to tell me!”

“I’m sure that’s not true, Patty. How long has he been gone?” Thea was trying to keep her calm so she wouldn’t raise her voice.

“Five months. He’s never been gone that long before.”

Studying the other woman, she noted that she had dark circles under her eyes. “Patty, I know this might not be what you want to hear, but do you think he might have...left?”

Patty looked insulted that she would even suggest that. “He would never. He promised me! I’m getting old! I can feel it! He promised he wouldn’t let that happen!” Her voice had risen loud enough that Thea had a feeling everyone heard her above the music.

The redhead shook her head. “Patty, I have no idea what you’re talking about now. You’re not getting old. He’s been gone for only five month. I’m pretty sure you haven’t changed that much.”

“You don’t understand! You’ve never been given that!” She grabbed Thea’s hand. “You’re only human, Thea! I’m a-”

“Hey, get the hell out of here!” a man yelled from across the room. He marched over to their table and gave Patty a hard look. “Both of you get out of here. You’re disturbing the peace.” His red-orange eyes flickered to Thea and then back to Patty. The redhead shrunk back a bit at his overwhelming presence. 

Patty, however, was not intimidated as she released Thea’s hand. “Tell me where Kent Allen Ryan is! Please!”

The man stepped back. “I told you before, we don’t know where the hell he went! Now get out of here, junky.”

“Hey!” Thea stood up. “Don’t insult my friend like that. She’s never done drugs in her life.” Or as far as she knew Patty had always been clean.

He crossed his arms. “I don’t care about your friend. Just take her out of here. Now.” His tone had changed completely. Gone was the angry growls. His calmer, more commanding tone, made Thea’s hairs stand on end.

Grabbing Patty’s arm, she started dragging the girl down the stairs. “Let’s go, Patty.”

“B-but I need to-”

“Patty, I said let’s go,” she commanded in a tone that told Patty not to argue with her. The brunette closed her mouth and allowed Thea to drag her out of the bar.

Once a safe distance away from the place, she let Patty go. “I am never going back there. It’s time to go home, Patty.” The other woman followed her in silence. She willingly got into the cab and went home without a word.

\---------

A few weeks later Thea saw Knox near the hospital. He was talking to some guy rather enthusiastically. The other man wasn’t wearing a shirt and had on shades; he looked out of place. There was something strange about him, but Thea couldn’t quite place what it was. As she went over, the strange man went into the hospital.

“Hey, Knox,” she greeted.

“Hey, girl! You look nice! How’s it goin’?” He smiled though he was looking around before meeting her eyes.

“Thanks. I’m meeting up with some friends to go to the Asylum. Who were you talking to?” she asked, curious.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Thea.” He laughed.

_ “Liessss!” _ the voice hissed.

The redhead’s brows furrowed. “I saw you talking to some shirtless guy. He went into the hospital just now.”

Knox shook his head. “Nope. Don’t know what you’re referring to. Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”

She bristled. “I’m feeling just fine, Knox. I know what I saw.” She sighed. “If you don’t want to talk about it, fine. I’m sorry I bothered you.” Thea stalked off before he could say anything else. She wasn’t even sure why she had asked him in the first place. She wasn’t the type to ask about other people’s business.

_ “He works for the porous one,” _ the voice murmured. Thea had no idea what the voice was referring to. She shook her head as she made her way down the street.

Once inside the Asylum, she was greeted by the sound of blaring music. There were a good number of people on the dance floor. She took a seat at the bar as she didn’t see Sam yet.

“Can I get ya somethin’?” the bartender asked.

“No thanks.” Watching the other people, Thea sat there for a while. She called Sam a few times, but she only got her voicemail.

An hour of waiting, she sighed, “I guess she isn’t coming…”

Just as she was about to leave a familiar person walked in. Knox didn’t seem to notice her as he passed by the bar and stood in the corner near the stairs. A few minutes later the strange man walked in. He was looking around the club with jerky movements. Thea watched as a woman with pigtails dressed in a school uniform, if you could call it that, greeted him.

She couldn’t tear her eyes away from them. There was something magnetic about the strange man. Even the woman had something that made Thea stare. After a while of chatting, the woman went into an elevator. She did cast the man one last smoldering look. As if feeling her eyes, the man turned in her direction. She couldn’t tell if he was looking at her since he had his shades on.

_ “A kindred spirit!” _ the voice cried in awe.

She stood rooted in her seat as the strange man walked over to her. He held himself in a manner that looked almost feral. He cocked his head to the side as he hovered over her. Then he smiled, revealing white teeth.

“The light has dimmed over time. Your stare is a beacon that brings in the boats,” he said as he leaned ever closer to her. She could see the dried hair gel in his auburn locks.

Thea leaned back in her seat. “I’m sorry...I should be going.” She made to leave, but he blocked her way.

Leaning toward her, he whispered in her ear, “Your mind is filled with cobwebs that scream to be let out. I too have a cobweb mind.” He started giggling as her breath hitched.

Part of her was afraid of the stranger. Another part felt a sense of calm. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she finally said, her voice quivered.

“Sooner your words turn stone to bread,” he muttered. He pulled back. “I am your Hyperion. We shall meet at the tall tower, my light.” He bowed dramatically before leaving her.

The moment he was gone Thea let out a large breath. It was as if she had been holding it in the entire time. The voice in her head had remained quiet the entire time the man, who she assumed called himself Hyperion, talked to her. His manner of speech reminded her of the voice in her head. They both spoke in riddles that she had a hard time deciphering. Of course she had gotten use to the voice in her head and figuring out what it was saying most of the time.

Leaving the club, Thea went through the entire event. Trying to make heads or tails of anything was a challenge in itself. “Hyperion…” She laughed aloud. A few people glanced at her oddly, not that she cared.

\---------

Three weeks went by and Thea didn’t hear much from Patty. The other woman seemed to spend her life at Confessions. She was obsessed over finding Kent Allen Ryan. Patty also seemed to be avoiding her. The redhead had gone to the club a few times to talk to her, but Patty would just tell her to leave. Patty told her not to “worry about her” since she “didn’t understand what was actually going on.”

Thea sighed as she finished up her work for LaCroix. She had sent a few emails and invites for the man that he had requested. Not that she had seen him yet. It seemed he preferred to communicate through email or the few rare times by phone. On the phone he sounded very demanding and snobbish. At least she thought so from the way he talked down at her. Even on the phone she could just imagine the bored look on his face, the face she had yet to see.

Pulled out from her thoughts, the elevator dinged and the doors opened. “W-what the…?” Her mouth fell open as a very familiar person stepped out. Dressed in a strange green and blue outfit with a hat to top it off, walked in the stranger from the Asylum.

“My light!” He bounded over to her desk. “My unbeating heart bleeds blood seeing you.”

“I see…” Thea took a second to compose herself. “You’ve finally gotten a shirt on. Are you here to see LaCroix?”

He glanced down at his clothes. “The stuffed one with a van of goodies, like the jolly one that wears blood colors, brought me a gift.” He nodded. “I come at the call of the Jester Prince!”

“Right…” Thea rubbed her temples. “So let me get this straight. You got an outfit from a fat guy with a van? Is your name Hyperion?”

He laughed. “Titan god carried the flaming sphere no more. Like I cannot touch the fiery tendrils of that sphere no more.” The last part came out in a quieter voice. “We are kin, brother and sister. Alike minded and minds alike.”

The redhead sighed. “I get enough from that voice, I don’t know if I can deal with you too…” she said more to herself than him. “Let me just notify Mr. LaCroix.”

Picking up the phone, she waited for him to pick up. After three rings she heard a click. “What.”

“Mr. LaCroix, um...Hyperion is here to see you?” she asked more than said.

There was a pause. “Who?” He sounded annoyed.

“Um...he’s dressed in a strange outfit and speaks in riddles?” Thea only hoped he would know who she was referring to.

LaCroix sighed heavily on the other side. “Send him in.” He hung up immediately.

Thea glanced back up at the man. He was rocking on his heels watching her intently. “You can go in.”

He bowed. “We shall meet again and again and again, little light.” She just nodded and watched as he went into the other room.

Once the door shut behind him Thea leaned back in her seat. “Must you only be quiet when he’s here?” she asked aloud. There was no response.

\---------

Thea would see Hyperion, she decided to call him that since he gave her no other name, more often. It wasn’t all the time, but he did come in often enough that she started getting use to him. His sporadic visits added a bit of flavor to her usually boring work nights. She noted how much the voice in her head quieted down whenever he visited. She couldn’t figure out the reason for the quietness, but she took it in stride.

Hyperion was eccentric as eccentric could get. She often didn’t understand him, but knew he was referring to something. His moods changed rather quickly, and he had the habit of laughing aloud to himself. Despite all his strange behaviors, he was kind in his own way. He always bowed to her before leaving, and referred to her as “my light” or “little light” despite Thea telling him her name.

She was under no illusion that he was harmless. A part of her knew he had a side to him she did not want to see. Though the voice in her head never warned her, she could just feel it from him. There was something potent about Hyperion that Thea hoped would never be directed at her.


End file.
